


Arsonist's Lullaby

by ParkeRose



Category: All For The Game - Nora Sakavic
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Bisexual Kevin, Dark Magic, Dark Neil Josten, M/M, Magic, Prince! Neil, Riko Moriyama is an Asshole, Witch Neil Josten, dislike riko so god damn much, king wymack, knight!renee, prince! kevin, riko absolutely sucks, royal guard/knight! andrew
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-06-13
Updated: 2020-10-16
Packaged: 2021-03-03 20:33:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 4
Words: 13,899
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24691582
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ParkeRose/pseuds/ParkeRose
Summary: Neil has been on the run for eight years and his life has been a disaster for all of them. Passing by a town leads him to encounter an old friend and a whole new tragedy. Following the life of a long lost Prince after he finds his fate in the eyes of his soulmate.Rather, soulmates.
Relationships: Kevin Day/Andrew Minyard, Kevin Day/Neil Josten, Kevin Day/Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard, Neil Josten/Andrew Minyard
Comments: 32
Kudos: 86





	1. Collision

**Author's Note:**

> [screams] this is also going to be a long one!! hope ya'll like it if you read it i'm pouring my love into it !!!!

He rolled the burning logs around with a stick, scratching the side of his face with his other hand.  _ Fucking mosquitoes. _ No matter how much time he had spent in the company of the bloodsuckers he never got used to the  _ itch.  _ It annoyed him in a way few other things did. The fire was almost out, but he saw through the dim light, his brother and cousin approaching their resting place between the trees. They were both carrying a heap of logs and arguing, likely about something neither of them cared for. They just liked to make noise, claiming it made them feel alive. 

Andrew couldn't relate to the sentiment. 

He breathed deeply, bidding the preferred silence and solitude farewell and caught the logs out of his whining cousins arms. Aaron dropped some near the fire and plopped to the floor, rubbing his hands together and holding them over the flames. Nicky slumped to the ground as well, his arm over his eyes, waiting for his breathing to calm from the exertion of carrying a little wood.

"I was not made for this. I am a humble man who just wants to write poetry and not be hungry." 

Andrew and Aaron ignored him in favour of everything else. Aaron ruffled about in his small bag that held a few clothes and mostly medicinal herbs, the only thing he owned. Nicky had his notebook and Andrew had his sword. In the world they lived, most helpful of all was the weapon, though many would argue that Aaron's knowledge and critique of medicine was far more useful. Here, they fought to stay alive. It wasn't technically Andrew's sword, in that he never bought it or paid for it or earned it in a fair fight. He had simply found it inside a tavern, left behind by an unsuspecting traveller and stolen it. Finders keepers. 

With the fire blazing again, Andrew settled down beside it, looking through the only other possession they all had - a bag in which they kept stolen food, water and money. A small piece of stale bread with a questionable smell, the pitcher of water completely empty. There was no more money left. Andrew didn't voice or worry over this concern. He would simply have to go to the market and steal again. This was and had been his life for years now. He was used to it. In the distance he heard the oncoming sound of hooves on dirt. This didn't worry him either; if it was bandits then they had nothing to give and he was good with a sword. It sounded still farther but there weren't just horses. When he listened closely he heard the sound of stealthy footsteps that years of experience had honed him to detect. It didn't sound like the threat was behind or even distinctly near him but he turned to look. 

A horse neighed in terror. Andrew stood up, slowly, sword in hand and moved towards the sound. His brother called out to him to come back but he didn't listen. He followed the noise and reached a man lying on his back, his horse fleeing away from the mess. Surrounding the helpless man was the attire of Royal Guards and a few other men, who seemed to be bandits. They were locked in a fight and the man on the floor was struggling to get back up. One of the bandits spotted him and attacked. It wasn't a fair fight, Andrew was far better. The man went down in a few seconds and Andrew charged towards another who had been heading towards the defenseless man on the floor. He fought like he had nothing to lose, because he didn't. The sound of swords clashing filled his ears as he lost himself to the familiar battle of defense and offense. His breathing grew strenuous due to hunger and his muscles ached after being idle for so long. A few minutes later the supposed enemy lay dead on the ground and Andrew braced an arm against a nearby tree for support. His lungs hurt when he breathed in deeply. 

The man who had been on the floor approached him and suddenly,Andrew found himself staring into emerald eyes, striking despite the low light of the evening. Maybe more so because of the atmosphere. Fire crackled nearby as Andrew tried to steady his breaths. He knew immediately who he was looking at and he knew next that he wanted nothing to do with the man. The Prince. 

"You just saved my life." 

The Prince's eyes were wide with relief and gratitude. He reached out a hand, presumably to pat Andrew on the shoulder and Andrew moved away, barely able to lift the sword he was holding in response. The Prince, recognizing his agitation, held his hands up where Andrew could see them and moved back.

"Thank you." 

Andrew breathed. "Your guards are useless."

"I must repay you for your kindness."

_ Kindness.  _ Andrew wanted to kill the man in front of him for even suggesting such an atrocity. "You are useless as well." 

The Prince laughed, quietly. "And you are an exceptional fighter. Where did you learn those techniques? You must teach me it would help me improve-" 

"Be quiet." Andrew glared at the Prince. The Prince stopped rambling, let out a breath of air and said, "You will not be convinced so easily, will you?" 

There was the sound of more footsteps and the remaining guards drew up their swords aimed at the newcomers. Aaron and Nicky approached quietly, taking in the scene. Andrew was in front of them in an instant, ready to defend. "Step back", he told the guard. "I will not hesitate, I do not care who you are." 

"I can see that", the Prince whispered to himself, then raised his hand with a frown, gaze flitting towards the newcomers. "Do not hurt them. He has saved my life and I must repay him." 

Nicky squealed in delight, as he noticed the Royal emblem. "It's- " 

"We know", the twins spoke in unison before Nicky could finish his sentence. They looked at each other for a second before Andrew's gaze drifted back to the Prince. "Come to the palace with me. You look like you need shelter." 

Andrew scoffed and was about to deny the fact when Nicky spoke again. "Oh, we are  _ famished.  _ We are  _ so _ lost and in  _ dire  _ need of your help. If you would be so kind to help us?" Nicky fluttered his eyelashes and Andrew heard one of the guards behind them laugh. Nicky wasn't fazed by the ridicule but The Prince turned for a moment, presumably to glare at whoever had laughed and the sound stopped immediately. He turned back to the three of them with another grateful smile. "It is settled then? We will head to the palace, now." The Prince walked away from them, guards following in his stead and the twins were left glaring at Nicky. 

"What were you thinking?" Aaron asked Nicky, incredulously. 

"He is even prettier than how the people describe him."

"I'm going to kill you", Andrew said. He was too tired for another fight. He knew he couldn't take on the Royal Guard in this state. The bandits were sloppy and untrained but as useless as Andrew thought these men were, they were still trained fighters and killers. He gestured at his brother and cousin to follow behind him. It seemed, for now, the wiser choice was to follow. 

After putting out the fire, they walked towards the palace from a route that Andrew never knew existed. He yawned, his eyes filling up with water at the heaviness of his exhaustion. He shook his head to keep himself awake. When they reached what appeared to be a side door, the Prince knocked on the door, some sort of signalling knock. Andrew grew instantly aware that they would be surrounded by gentry and guards throughout and would have no way to escape, especially if someone recognized them as thieves and misfits. 

The Prince turned towards them as soon as they were inside the dimly lit corridors. In the moonlight, everything felt heavy and sluggish. Andrew was  _ very _ hungry. "Now. Would you like to rest before or after you meet the King?" 

Andrew blinked sleep out of his eyes, gaze turning stronger when he looked at the Prince. It sounded like a silly question to him. He wasn't going to accept any niceties until he was sure these people could be trusted. "Take us to your King." Andrew's voice was rough from disuse and thirst. He cleared his throat as the Prince nodded his head and strolled forward, wordlessly.

They waited outside the throne room's door and Andrew leaned against the wall, arms crossed, foot tapping incessantly against the floor. 

"How long is this going to take?", Aaron grumbled. 

"Do you have somewhere to be?", The Prince asked, politely. 

"Mind your own business." Aaron's glare was more hostile than his voice.

A guard stepped forward as if turned by mechanics, his face devoid of any emotion. The Prince gestured for him to stay back, his expression more irritated than anything. "Do not intervene between my conversations. They are harmless." 

At that, Andrew stepped away from the wall to stand in front of the Prince. He was tall, and now that Andrew could see him clearly in the torchlights of the palace he understood why he was particularly famous for his appearance. Still, Andrew wasn't going to let anyone label him as  _ harmless _ . 

He must have looked threatening enough to anyone else but the Prince still looked at him with nothing but  _ gratitude.  _ It grated at Andrew's nerves. His eyes snagged on the two lined scars on the Prince’s face; they looked deliberate and neat. Then, he looked up into green eyes and for a moment they just looked at each other. A heartbeat. The Prince smiled slowly, unflinching as the doors to the throne room opened beside them bringing a gust of wind. 

King Wymack looked nothing like what Andrew was expecting. In fact, he was sure he had seen this man walk the same streets he stole from. "Right. What's all this, then?" 

The Prince cleared his throat, looking away from Andrew and launched into the story of how 'this man' had  _ defended  _ him against bandits and  _ protected  _ him. The King turned towards him and in a flash his eyes filled with amusement. 

"I've seen you before." 

King Wymack didn't smile at him but his gaze was neither hateful nor angered. He looked pleasantly surprised to see Andrew. And then he was exposed.

"You're the one who steals from the rich merchants? You've got quite a reputation." 

Andrew heard Nicky whisper a prayer under his breath. It must have caught up to his cousin why being shown mercy by a Prince when you stole from his people wasn't the best situation.

"The Prince said he'd give us shelter. I saved his life, I'm sure I can kill him just as easy if he goes back on his word." 

The King nodded, dismissively. "I'm sure you can. You all look incredibly tired. Kevin and the guards will show your family to the spare rooms while we talk." With that, he turned and walked back into the room. 

Andrew turned towards the Prince. "These two aren't going anywhere. I refuse to trust you with their lives." 

The Prince rolled his eyes. "If you'd rather have them be out here in discomfort then by all means. I'm sure they're tired of standing." 

Andrew sighed, looking at his tired twin and his terrified cousin. "Stay here." He followed the King. 

The throne room was well decorated and the throne itself shone as the torchlights illuminated it. The doors to the room closed behind him and he noticed the lack of guards inside. Either the King could defend himself as easy as breathing or he didn't see Andrew as a threat. 

A million questions swirled in Andrew's mind. He'd been recognized faster than he anticipated. The King would likely imprison him, then what of his family? Who would take care of them? No, Andrew convinced himself. Negotiation wasn't his specialty but he would fight tooth and nail to get out of this palace with his brother and cousin safe. 

On one side of the throne room was a large table with seats lined on every side. The King, instead of taking his place on the throne, moved towards it and pulled out a chair. As exhausted as he was, Andrew kept standing. 

"What is your name, young man?" 

"None of your concern at the moment. Just tell me what you plan to do with us." 

It was easier to talk about the problem directly, no use beating around the bush. Besides, he wasn't foolish enough to put a name to the face of a thief. The King didn't look surprised. 

"Oh, nothing. I was hoping you would stay comfortably in the palace tonight, have some food and rest. Your name would make things easier, saying 'young man' over and over can be quite tiring."

"Hm", Andrew replied. He didn't know what acts of offense he was committing by being dismissive towards the King but he didn't care very much. "Try that again with more honesty." 

The King laughed, a low and deep sound, rough with age. "I am being as honest as you are. You saved my son's life, it is only right that I offer you a place to stay. Or does Kevin have it wrong? Do you have somewhere to go?"

He didn't. He hadn't had a place to stay in years and neither did his family. He didn't understand what was at play. Didn't believe in the kindness the man in front of him was offering for free. But he was tired and hungry. He licked his lips, thinking of all the ways staying in the palace could go wrong. His mind was full of worst case scenarios when the King spoke again. 

"I know you are a thief. Most people in this palace are." 

King Wymack was looking at him with something akin to understanding. His words halted Andrew's thoughts. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion and the King smiled. 

"I am not the best king or a great man. But I am, if anything, fair. I do not hold what people do out of necessity against them. Young people like you often feel like you don't have any other choice. The guards and servants of this palace consider this their home."

Andrew narrowed his eyes. "What's the point of that? Just to prove you're a good King-" 

"We all have a past, I assume you understand that, at least. I want these people to know that it does not define them. Give them another chance." 

Andrew rolled his eyes, folding his arms in front of him. "Bullshit. You probably get shit stolen from this place all the time. You expect me to feel sheltered knowing what everyone in this palace has done?" 

"Isn't it better than not knowing?" The King asked, with an expression that suggested he already knew the answer to that question. And as far as Andrew could think, he was right. It was better to know the intentions of people rather than living in the dark. He could deny it all he liked but the King's offer was quite irresistible. If it was all a lie then he'd at least raid the kitchens before he fought his way out. He looked away from the King, towards the throne. It looked expensive. 

"You can't steal that. It's plastered to the floor." 

Andrew gave the man a flat look. "If you think that will stop me." He left it at that. 

He stepped backwards, towards the closed doors of the throne room. The King laughed again at his remark, shaking his head. "Kevin will show you to your rooms", he said, in lieu of goodbye. As if he was sure he'd see Andrew again.

Andrew scoffed under his breath and turned to open the doors. He didn't let his impatience show, the need to make sure his family wasn't hurt. Aaron was leaning against the wall, his eyes closed and Nicky was sitting cross-legged on the floor beside him. He expected to see at least a few guards surrounding them but there was only another face that had become rather familiar in only a few hours. 

Prince Kevin paced the hallway outside the throne room like a subject awaiting news which, perhaps, he was.

He was first to notice Andrew's presence and he looked to him with a question in his eyes. Before he could voice it, Andrew looked away from him and started walking down the lengthy hallway, expecting the rest to follow.

"Your room is the other way!" 

He stopped when he heard the Prince call out and back tracked slowly towards where the rest were standing. Aaron shook his head in disdain and walked the other way and at this point even Nicky was too tired to argue. His cousin and brother moved on ahead leaving him with the Prince. 

Prince Kevin looked down at him, smiling in a way that made it evident he was trying not to laugh at him. Andrew glared. The Prince turned away, lips still raised in his  _ cursed  _ smile and Andrew tried his goddamn hardest not to stare. They walked in silence down hallways and turned so many corners that even Andrew stopped paying attention. But Andrew could feel the Prince's restlessness. He would open his mouth every few minutes as if ready to speak but would shake his head and remain quiet - Andrew didn't know if he wanted to know what the Prince had to say or not. It was probably a load of thankyou's he didn't want or care for. With the Prince's doubt and Andrew fighting sleep they reached a door where they stopped. 

"I asked them to arrange bedding in one room. I assumed you wouldn't want to be away from your family." 

Andrew took to glaring again. The Prince smiled again,  _ same damned smile.  _ Andrew was willing to punch it off his face. 

"Get some rest,  _ saviour _ . I'll have some food sent up to the room, soon." 

"What did you just call me?" 

The Prince grinned. "You haven't told me your name. What else am I supposed to call you?" 

"Stop talking to me." 

"Stop talking back", the Prince raised an eyebrow, likely entertained by their quarrel. Andrew, scoffing, looked away, pushed open the doors finding his brother and cousin almost asleep on the bed. There were two mattresses on the floor, but so long as Aaron and Nicky didn't have any qualms sharing the bed which looked delightfully comfortable, Andrew could make use of both the mattresses. It would be better than every place he had ever slept in, cleaner too. He fumbled about with the bedding and soon enough he was passed out on the floor, a hand pressed to his stolen sword, reassuringly.

Andrew woke a few hours later to the sound of a knock on the door. He was up and alert in an instant, his back aching with the movement. His stomach grumbled as he strapped his sword to his belt and moved towards the door. There was a man holding a tray full of food, the likes of which Andrew hadn't even seen in his life. His mouth watered and he grabbed the large tray hastily before shutting the door in the man's face. Nicky woke up sniffing the air, Aaron already rubbing sleep out of his eyes.

"I have never seen this much food." 

Andrew didn't even have a chance to warn his cousin to be careful before he was stuffing his face. Nicky took the tray from Andrew's hands moving towards a table in the corner of the large room. Andrew shared a look with his brother after which they both looked towards Nicky. 

"What?" Nicky asked, mouth full. 

There was no immediate reaction from the food so it wasn't apparently poisoned and it  _ did _ look very tempting. Andrew reached out to grab a bite. The food practically melted in his mouth. He had to stop himself from closing his eyes to savour the warmth of it. 

"What did the King say?" Aaron asked. 

"We can leave tomorrow", Andrew summarized what he assumed was the truth.

"What do they want in return?"

"I saved the stupid Prince's life before you both showed up." 

Aaron frowned in confusion. "Why?" 

Andrew stared at him. 

"Why did you save his life?" 

"Don't ask stupid questions." Andrew went back to the food. 

After they were finished eating, Nicky jabbering on about how grateful he was to have a full stomach after so long, Andrew checked outside the room for any sign of trouble. The hallway was empty, no sign of a guard as far as he could see. His mind hazy with the weight of a warm meal, Andrew settled back down on the bedding. He lay awake for a few minutes, staring at the ceiling - his thoughts rushed about and there were so many he couldn't make sense of anything. Frowning at his own muddled brain he fell asleep, again, trying to understand what was happening to him and his family. 

When he woke again, it was dawn. He was so lost in the comfort of the soft blankets and pillows that he very nearly forgot himself. But the truth of their visit crashed into him and he sat up, exhausted. He yawned expressively, rolling his stiff shoulder. The pain reminded him of why it was there in the first place and he reached for his sword instinctively. It was, perhaps, the best sword he had ever wielded. Its handle was intricately carved with twisting patterns which always made Andrew wonder how a weapon could look so graceful. The curtains were drawn and in the low morning light of the room, Andrew traced over the carvings on the sword, the shape of them now familiar under his hand. 

He walked out of the room as quietly as possible, empty bag of supplies slung over his shoulder, deciding that it wouldn't hurt to know these hallways if they truly needed to escape. He took care of every turn knowing he would remember them until eventually, he stumbled upon the kitchen. No one was inside of it, so he scanned the hallway before stepping in. He reached out for the many kinds of bread that were laid out on a slab and stuffed the first one into his mouth. Just like the food they had been given last night, the bread tasted like heaven. Then again, he was starved so what did he know? He broke it into pieces and ate greedily before stuffing some more into the bag. 

"I don't like crumbs in my kitchen. Clean them up will you?" 

He dropped the bread he was holding and turned, startled though he tried hard not to show it. How had he not heard this lady walk in? He should have noticed. The realization, that he hadn't, scared him more than being caught. 

The woman smiled at him fondly. She was older than him by many years, probably closer to the King’s age. Or the age his cursed mother would have been if he had left her to live. 

“By all means, take as much as you’d like. I can always make more.” 

She didn’t stop to stare, busied herself with kitchen work; gathering dishes, checking the dough. She must be the cook. He could have defended himself but what would be the use? She  _ had _ told him he could take as much as he liked, it would be foolish to pass up that offer. He began to stuff more bread in the bag. When he was sure it would last his family through the week, he leaned against the slab and observed. He wasn’t particularly interested in the art of cooking but the kitchen was peaceful and he could see the sun low in the sky through the paned window. He wasn’t past enjoying a moment of silence without his family around. He focused instead on the cook kneading dough. The mechanisms of it looked simple enough but his arms still strained as he kept staring at the repetitive motion of her hands. He bit into more bread. 

“Betsy”, the cook said. “You can call me Bee. Everyone does.”

Andrew didn’t know why she was telling him her name but she was the first person in days who had thought to introduce themselves without asking for his identity. He wasn’t past give and take. Besides, she’d let him eat her food.

“Andrew”, he offered, after a few minutes of contemplation. 

“You’re new here?”

“Just leaving”, he replied, dusting his hands off of crumbs. She stopped her work and gave him a look of disappointment the likes of which he had never received before. He looked back with deadened eyes before giving in. 

“Give me something to clean with.”

She smiled and pointed towards the broom and other cleaning utensils on the side. He was brushing aside the mess he had made when he heard a knock on the open kitchen door. The Prince’s head appeared, sleep ruffled hair and tired eyes but a kind smile on his face for the lady. 

“The King has sent me for his breakfast”, Prince Kevin said, in a deep, ridiculous voice. 

Betsy laughed. “Surprised to see you awake, Kevin.”

“Yes, well, I couldn’t get much sleep last night. I gave up a while ago.”

Then, the Prince noticed his presence. Andrew wasn’t one to look away first so he met Prince Kevin’s gaze head on. The Prince’s smile fell away but the gratitude from last night didn’t replace it, surprisingly. If anything, he looked anxious. The Prince looked away as if trying to gather his words, looked back, looked away. Finally. 

“Have you eaten?”

Andrew raised his eyebrows in confusion at the stupid question and ate more bread. The Prince looked away.  _ Idiot. _

A moment passed where he saw the cook observe them in silence. Eventually, the Prince shook his head. 

“Since you’re awake, come with me. Father wants to speak to you.”

Andrew wiped his mouth with the back of his hand. 

“About what?”

“Job prospects.”

  
  


“You want me to join the Royal Guard?”

King Wymack shrugged. “Kevin says you are a good fighter. I believe him.”

“That’s all it takes? No wonder your guards are trash.” Andrew scoffed. 

“You can help train them”, the lousy Prince suggested from where he stood, leaning against the table in the King’s chambers. Andrew glared at him for the sake of it. 

In truth, Andrew was considering the offer thoroughly. But he wasn’t an easy person.

“I saved his life because I didn’t know who he was. If I did I would have killed him myself. I’ll cut off all my fingers before I protect  _ royalty.” _

The King frowned, sharing a look with his son. 

“What do you want in return?”

Andrew didn’t like being read so easily but perhaps it was unchallenging to guess what a person who had nothing could want. He sighed. 

“I don’t go anywhere without my family. They are not fighters.”

“I’m sure we can find use for them in the palace. What are they good at?”

Andrew was surprised for a moment and he looked at the King with such foolish emotion that the man smiled. He gestured for Andrew to continue and Andrew cleared his throat. 

“Aaron is a good physician. Nicky knows only to write half-assed poetry.”

Acknowledging these facts made him sound like he had never noticed them before. The King was silent for a moment, pondering the new information. 

“Never too many physicians and poets. Very well then, will you stay if I give them a place here?”

Andrew narrowed his eyes. 

“I just have to keep your son alive? What am I protecting him from?”

The King smiled, again. “Perceptive. But not my story. Kevin can tell you more about his past than I can.”

Said person was avoiding every gaze in the room to stare fixedly on the floor. Andrew looked at him, trying to read his expression. The Prince looked up and caught his eyes, immediately straightening up from his slump. “Did you say something?” he asked, not unkindly. He sounded apologetic more than anything, that he likely zoned out a conversation that affected him so deeply. Andrew shook his head.

“So, will you stay?” Another smile. Not a single one had reached his eyes and he’d passed out so many since the night before.

Andrew didn’t respond at first but something restless in his heart settled down. He found himself nodding at the Prince, wondering if his job was to protect the Prince from the demons inside his head as well. The distant look on his face from a few moments ago gave Andrew the idea that this wouldn’t be as easy as he wanted it to be. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



	2. An Old Friend

Neil woke up with a start. 

His heart rate was spiralling. Instinctively, he reached for his satchel, pulling out a familiar book - the only reassuring presence in his life. He traced over its well worn cover as was his habit, thinking only once of the mother who had left him behind. Well. It wasn’t her fault she was dead. 

He yawned, covering his mouth with a scarred hand and snuggled the book and a pillow closer to his chest. He was staying at a small tavern, nothing too fancy but not unclean. The room he got had a window without a grill and that was more than enough for him to escape from if need be. He was hoping there wouldn’t be any need. 

He could never be too sure, his father’s men were everywhere. A hefty reward he was offering to find his son, the long lost prince. If he were ever to be found he wouldn’t be lost anymore but he would be dead within an hour and a half. His father was very time conscious about his torture. 

His eyes were falling shut on their own but he had a feeling he wouldn’t be able to sleep that night. His brain was full of fog and he needed to- 

He knew what page it was, had learnt it by heart with all the years of practice but seeing it with his own eyes made him feel...real. Pressing a hand over his heart, he closed his eyes and muttered the spell under his breath. 

The effect was immediate, his mind cleared, his heartbeat settled. He felt human. He wanted to forget that he wasn’t. 

Closing the book slowly, he bit his lip. The calming spell helped but he wasn’t without worry. He’d been more careful after his mother’s death, no one had found him yet. He’d only just come to this new town and he didn’t know what or who he would find. He didn’t want a fall in with monsters who weren’t his father. He decided he would gather supplies - food and the like - and leave the next day. The room was dark and for a moment it scared him. The evident loneliness of his journey weighed in on him in the silence. It was getting harder to convince himself his goal was to survive, thoughts kept derailing into images of him burning up the book and himself, engulfed in flames like his mother had been. It would be so easy. 

Thinking about fire always made him thirsty. 

Sighing, he grabbed the flask and stood, near the window. Carefully, he peaked down to see if there was anyone awake in the street below - there wasn’t. He shrugged his arm gently, raising his hand and with a soft breath of words there was a flame in his palm. He couldn’t see clearly, as the glass was foggy but in the distance, he could just make out the shadows of the palace towers. Even in the daytime his eyes had snagged onto the large pillars that look old and intimidating. He didn’t want to think too much about it but things rarely ever caught his attention if they weren’t important. He dreaded the significance of the palace having run away from one all his life. He patted his chest where his heart was, for some reason even the spell couldn't calm it down. Funny feeling, this. He furrowed his eyebrows in confusion, giving the palace one last glance before closing his hand into a fist, snatching away any speck of light from the room. 

He needed to leave this place as soon as possible. 

He didn’t wake up on time. Should have been more careful with timing the calming spell, it put him in a sleep so deep it could very well cost him his life. When he woke up to the sun high in the sky he sat up so quick his vision blurred. Not giving himself time to gather his thoughts, Neil grabbed his things and headed out the room. He was so terrified he almost jumped out the window in an attempt to not be seen by the people hustling about in the tavern downstairs but one look out the window made him realize he’d be making more of a spectacle and fool of himself if he truly jumped. He kept his gaze steady, natural, practiced ease coursing through his veins. Putting the hood on from his cloak, he left. 

When he got to the market, which was so full of people he almost lost himself, he relaxed only a little. It was easier to hide in the midst of so many people who had their own business to take care of. He stopped to buy some food and bandages and some salves for his scars. 

When he was passing by a jewelry store, however, his eyes caught upon an earring with a blue sapphire. He reached a hand up to his empty, pierced ear. Maybe it could act as a disguise. He didn’t know anyone besides his father's men who could recognize him but his red hair was a dead giveaway. He had tried using magic to change it to a different colour but it never settled. He’d taken to covering it at all times. He knew he wasn’t going to spend his money on an expensive earring but he reached forward, nonetheless. 

Instead of feeling the texture of the stone under his hand, he felt the brush of someone’s fingers. He snatched his hand back, recognizing that someone else had been reaching for it as well. He should have looked away, should have  _ walked away.  _ He should never have stopped in the first place. He didn’t have space in his life for extravagance and that became abundantly clear when he lifted his gaze and met familiar eyes. 

They furrowed in confusion for only a second before recognition made them widen. Neil stepped back so fast his hood fell off. Before the other man could say a word, Neil turned and began to run. 

“Wait!” He heard the man call from behind him and suddenly he was on the floor and he couldn’t breathe. Someone had hit him in the chest. A dreadful moment passed when he thought he had been caught because he had stopped to admire an earring. But when he looked up the symbol he saw was not of his father’s kingdom but of a royal guard from the palace. An unfamiliar face, fair and unimpressed. Blond hair catching the light of the sun, making it look gold. Neil sucked in a deep breath trying to gather himself and noticed the piece of wood in the man’s hand. The short man threw it aside and looked down at Neil. He would have cursed if only he could breathe. 

Neil rubbed his chest and heaved in a breath. He felt someone’s arms wrap around his shoulders, helping him up. The person he had run from now held onto his arm, not tightly but he wasn’t looking at Neil. He used that distraction to cover his head again, blowing out a breath. It would be useless to run, there were probably guards everywhere waiting for orders from their Prince. 

He didn’t know what it meant that Kevin was here. Was Riko nearby? It was clear that Kevin had recognized him, his features  _ were  _ very distinct. He wished he had never come here, he wished he was smarter than that. The men beside him were still arguing, Kevin trying to make a point to the guard who stared at him in stony silence. While Kevin reprimanded the blond man, their gaze met, a brief second which Neil found hard to look away from, for some reason. Still, he shifted his eyes to the crowd. 

He tried to shrug his arm out of Kevin’s hand but his grip tightened fractionally. Finally, he shifted his attention to Neil.

“Are you alright?”

Neil glared at the audacity. Kevin was out here, practically ruining Neil’s plans of flight, having his guard hit him with a weird looking stick and he had the guts to ask Neil if he was alright? Of course, the fuck, he was not  _ alright. _

He forced his arm out of Kevin’s grip and stepped away. The guard blocked his way. 

“Move”, he said. 

“Can’t.”

Neil tilted his head, rolling his eyes. “Dedicated, are you?”

“Don’t get paid for nothing.”

He must not be much older than himself, Neil thought. His voice was deep and he looked strong, like he would be hell to fight against. This was not the crazy lunatic he had last seen following Kevin around. Neil’s eyes narrowed in confusion. 

“Nathaniel”, Kevin said. Neil turned to award him a murderous look. 

“Keep your voice down. You will get me killed, for fuck’s sake, Kevin, have you learnt nothing since we last met?”

“So, it  _ is  _ you.” Kevin looked like he had stumbled across a revelation. A prophecy or something equally holy. It made Neil’s mind cloud with anger. People were stopping to stare at the Prince and the strange man he was talking to so Neil tugged his hood further down, covering his face as much as he could. 

“I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“Nathaniel-”

“Stop calling me that!”, Neil whispered, harshly. There was silence between them but for the hustle of the market, children laughing, bargains and secretive conversations, not unlike the one they were having at the moment. 

“What happened to you?” Kevin asked softly, stepping closer so Neil could hear him voice his concerns. 

Neil sighed. Damn.  _ Damn it all.  _

“Life happened to me, Kevin. Now, do you need something or can I go?”

Kevin looked worriedly at the state of dishevel Neil was in.

“You should come to the palace with me.”

Neil’s eyes widened. “Are you crazy? I can’t-”

“If only for a while, Natha-” Kevin stopped himself from saying Neil’s true name and looked down. “Come and rest a while. You can leave if you need to, I just-”   
“He wants to help. Prince-y here has a hero complex.”

Neil looked at the man who had spoken but he was looking at Kevin. He could sense a familiarity in their eyes and Kevin gave him a deadened stare in response. 

Neil didn’t know, in all honesty, where he intended to go from here. If this was a trap it was likely he wouldn’t be able to run either way but if it wasn’t...if it wasn’t he could be safer inside the palace walls than anywhere else. He could take the comfort of the high walls and guarded entrances over the ease with which he could be recognized on the streets. 

There was the fact looming over his head that when he had run away with his mother all those years ago it wasn’t just from his father, it was from the alliances his father had and more or less anyone he had ever known. It was from Kevin. He didn’t know if he was ready to face his past again but it looked like he didn’t have much of a choice. Kevin’s eyes were full of unparalleled apprehension. For him, Neil realized. It baffled him why Kevin would want to help. With all the havoc they had witnessed their families cause he had thought this reunion would be more bloody. Well, his ribs did hurt but that was no fault of the Prince who stood before him with pleading eyes. He really ought to leave this behind. 

But when he opened his mouth to respond all that came out was “Fine.”

Kevin smiled and Neil frowned. The guard shook his head. Together they walked back to the palace, Neil careful still of being noticed but it was rather difficult to hide when he was standing next to someone so beloved. 

“He’s caught another one”, the guard announced when they walked into what Neil assumed was the throne room. The throne, however, was empty. The King sat on the side with bottles of liquor and paperwork piled in dozens.He was rubbing his temples when the three of them walked in and when he looked up it was evident that the man was exhausted. He looked close to his father’s age.

“Maybe I should leave”, he turned around, but Kevin caught his arm, turning him back to face the King. He didn’t know why he thought this was a good idea. Kings, palaces, royalty - all of which he had shied away from now lay in front of him as a safety blanket or a feast. 

“Father, this is-”

“Neil. I can introduce myself just fine, thank you, Kevin.”

Kevin’s brow twitched. “I-”

“-found him on the streets and brought him back to you like a lost puppy. From what this guard man here has to say, it sounds like he does this very often? Odd son you have, here.”

“Odd?”, Kevin whispered.

“ _ Guard man”,  _ the guard man grimaced. 

“You’re right”, the King said. “He has a habit but not a bad one. It is quite annoying, though. Neil, did you say? I’m too tired to argue against him at the moment so I’ll let you all go about your business but welcome to the palace, which has truly become a halfway house, at this point. Kevin, you know how this goes, by now. I need you back here to help sort this paperwork out as soon as possible. Dismissed.”

Neil blew out a breath. Interesting King these people had. An even more interesting successor. He didn’t understand either of them. Honestly, he wasn't one to judge but it didn't mean he wasn’t going to.

Kevin rolled his eyes at his father,  _ the King, _ and Neil’s eyebrows shot up.  _ Interesting,  _ he thought, again. 

“I’ll show you to my rooms- _ your _ rooms, I will show you to  _ your _ rooms. This way.” Kevin shook his head and walked ahead, grumbling. Neil looked at his retreating back in puzzlement. When he looked beside him he found the guard man doing the same. 

“So, guard man. Is he really always like this?”

The guard man narrowed his eyes at Neil. “Don’t call me that,  _ Nathaniel.” _

Neil gave him a scathing look, his nostrils flaring. “Don’t call me that,  _ asshole.” _

“Kevin’s a bit naive and a lot sentimental. I don’t know why he brought you here when you reek of bad luck. What are you hiding?”

Neil grinned, sharp and wicked. He didn’t care if Kevin’s short defender had smelled the stink of runaway on him. He didn’t care how powerful he was, how strong. As long as Neil had his magic he could take anyone in a fight. He didn’t even need a sword. 

“I am an open book”, Neil said, sounding unbelievably smug.

The man rolled his eyes. “Probably a boring one.”

Neil’s smile fell away. That was a low blow. He had worked hard to become who he was today and even if it was nothing at least it wasn’t boring. He shook his head, offended. 

The guard gestured pointedly for Neil to follow. They didn’t talk again and by the time they got to Neil’s rooms, every single one of them looked like they would rather be anywhere else. 

“All yours”, Kevin said, throwing open the door. He looked agitated. Upset. 

For a moment, Neil wanted to ask. But he kept his mouth shut and hopped onto a neatly made bed. He placed his bag carefully, beside himself. When he turned towards the door, both the guard and Kevin were gone. He sighed, closing his eyes. 

“What are you doing here, idiot?” he asked himself, out loud. He pulled out some bread from his bag and ate, for lack of anything else to do. He didn’t know what his place would be here, now that Kevin had decided to help him. He wasn’t even sure if this counted as help. It could either end very well or very badly. He’d lived his life in these extremes but he was yet to become used to them. 

Soon, however, he became restless. He kept thinking, over and over, of the times he had met Kevin as a child. Of course it was impossible to think of Kevin without also thinking of Riko. The devil incarnate. 

Neil had hated Riko when they were children. Everyone and their grandmother hated Riko. That fucker, Neil thought. 

When they were children, they hadn’t grown up in places that bred innocence. War and bloodlust were commonplace but the gruesome events that went on inside the walls of the palaces they lived in were unforgettable. Neil had become attuned to the gorish monstrosity of his life by then, his father had made sure of it. It made him uncomfortable, it made him vomit his guts out but he had blood on his hands by the time he was eight. His father never tried to justify it because the cruelty of his knives was never justice. 

King Nathan Wesninski killed for the fuck of it. He killed for  _ fun _ , the ‘Butcher’ they called him. The state of the people in the kingdom Neil was never to inherit was brutal and unfair. There was nothing he could have done to help them as a child and that was mostly when he had wanted to help. Now, he knew better. He couldn’t help anyone when he was trying so hard to stay alive. 

Kevin had never been so easily influenced. Before Neil had heard the news of Kevin returning to his father,he had had a mother who loved him, who pet his hair and tried to make him smile.

Neil had a mother who hit him after his father hit him because ‘ _ Why did you anger him, Nathaniel? Look what you’ve made him do to you!’ _

Sometimes, Neil still felt like it was his fault. If only he had been better. If only he had given into becoming the monster his father wanted him to become. The likes of which Riko had turned into. Riko and his father would get along splendidly. The thought was so terrible it made him laugh humorlessly, lying there on an unfamiliar palace bed. 

Meeting Riko and Kevin was a frequent thing. By birth, Riko was also a Prince, from the kingdom that neighboured their own. The Moriyama Empire. 

A legend. A terror. 

And Kevin was King Moriyama’s ward. What terrible luck he had as a child, to have a mother so loving and a  _ friend _ so brutal. 

The guard was right. Kevin was and always had been naive and sentimental. 

But Neil didn’t find fault in that. His memories of Kevin from when they were young were hazy but kindness was hard to forget. Kevin had grown in a palace full of arrogance and terror and he had  _ chosen _ empathy over power. Neil knew there was a different kind of strength in that, fit for the King that Kevin would one day become. But it wasn’t always the strength that kept you alive. At times, nothing and no one could keep you alive, Neil thought, remembering the decaying corpse of his mother he had burned. 

She had taught him everything he knew about magic. Everything bad, that is. And she had told him to hide it. There were very few things Neil and his mother agreed on. Hiding his magic was one of those things. It was difficult sometimes because he was so accustomed to using it but it had been the obvious choice since the Moriyama’s were hell bent on using it for evil. Neil couldn’t let them know. Couldn’t let Kevin know. 

Because Kevin hadn’t just been naive and sentimental. He had been  _ afraid.  _ Of magic and the people who used it. He had been in the clutches of Riko for too long and Neil knew exactly what it was to be under control of a powerful magician. 

He wouldn’t let Kevin find out, he promised himself. Because Kevin had thought to help him - even when they were children and he couldn’t. 

Kevin had  _ always  _ thought to help.

  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ya'll remember Merlin? What a great show that didn't end the way that it did...


	3. Suspicion

_ Come back, Kevin.  _

_ Your place is by my side.  _

In his sleep, Kevin shifted his head to the side, fitful. His hands fisted the sheets around him, sweating profusely. 

_ Kevin, I’m sorry.  _

_ But Riko’s face didn’t look apologetic.  _

Kevin shuddered awake. He blinked, blearily in the darkness of the room trying to focus on his reality. It took some convincing to be sure Riko wasn’t there. He sat up on his bed, sighing deeply. The curtains were drawn and the moonlight cast shadows about the room which Kevin could only be half sure weren’t dancing. His head hurt by his own grievances; he drank too much last night. He always did. 

He rubbed his face with his hands, knowing sleep would not visit again. It was nearly dawn so it didn’t matter, he supposed. His father should be awake, a routine ingrained in him over the years. 

When he stood up, his head swam feeling like it would fall off his shoulders. He was familiar with where Abby kept her medicines and herbs and by now, he was so used to asking her for a cure to these incessant headaches, he could find it with his eyes closed. He didn’t expect Abby to be awake when he went there but when he reached the physician’s room, he heard clattering from inside. He looked behind him, where a floor to ceiling window reflected the moon still in the sky, no sign of first light at all. The troubled people in this palace rarely ever slept on time. The door creaked ever so slightly when he opened it but the sounds inside didn’t stop. 

It was a mess. Whole cupboards had been toppled over, the floor littered with broken glass and the air smelled of chemicals. Kevin would have been more afraid if his head didn’t hurt like all hell. A small bottle of reddish liquid rolled over and collided softly with his slippers. He picked it up and hummed, recognising it as the cure for his headache. Shrugging, he began to drink, effectively ignoring the chaos surrounding him. He was still drinking when his eyes widened as he saw  _ Neil _ rise up from behind a large table. 

He was holding a cat. 

Kevin choked on his medicine.

Neil paid him no mind, rubbing behind the cat’s ears and murmuring soft words to it. Kevin swallowed the last drop of his medicine and took a deep breath. 

“What are you doing here?” Kevin asked. 

Neil ignored him and instead looked at the state the room was in, pouting. Tired voices spoke from the doorway behind Kevin. 

“For fuck’s sake.” This was Aaron. 

“Why do you have a cat, Neil?” This was Abby. 

“It looked  _ very  _ lonely outside, so I brought it in. I didn’t know it would wreak all this havoc, I swear.”

“Were you planning on having an intellectual conversation with it? It’s a cat. All they do is wreak havoc”, Aaron said, exaggeratedly. 

Neil looked offended on behalf of the cat. In fact, the cat looked offended on behalf of itself. 

Abby sighed. “Neil. Please escort the cat back outside.”

Neil looked very upset at that. “Let me keep it”, he whined. “I won’t bring it in here again.”

“You might as well, there’s nothing left for it to destroy”, Aaron grumbled. Neil glared at him.

Abby sighed, again. “Neil”, she said, pointedly. As rebellious as the new edition to the palace was even he held respect for their physician. 

Neil rolled his eyes. “Fine.”

“And clean up here.”

Neil pretended not to hear her as he left the room, stepping over the mess on the floor. Apparently, not that much respect. Kevin rubbed his eyes, his head still throbbing. Abby kept a gentle hand on his arm and asked if he was alright. He nodded politely and looked to the door Neil had just exited, then left a complaining Aaron and tired Abby behind to follow him.

Neil hadn’t gotten far, walking slowly, taking his time to pet the cat cradled in his arms like a baby. The cat looked close to falling asleep. Kevin caught up to them and slowed his pace as well. Neil didn’t look his way, hell bent on ignoring his existence. He had been doing so for the past few days that he’d been here. It was very disconcerting. 

“You’re going to have to talk to me at some point.”

Silence. 

“Neil.”

The sky began to change colour. Still, the only sound between them were the purrs of the sleepy cat. Until. 

“What do you think I should call it?”

Kevin had been the one prompting Neil to speak but he was startled nonetheless when Neil asked the question. “You aren’t letting it back outside?”

Neil grinned, defiant. “No. It’s  _ my _ cat, now.” 

“Abby will be furious.”

“Ah. She won’t kill me over it.” Neil stroked the cats head, gently, throwing around the words as if they had no depth behind them. 

It had been more than a week since Kevin found Neil and brought him to the palace. The fire in Neil’s eyes matched exactly the way Neil used to be when they were children; stubborn and spirited.  _ Uncontrollable _ . Inevitably, however, what little Kevin knew of Neil’s past didn’t add up to the state Neil had been in when they had met again. And for some reason, his knowledge of Neil’s truth made Neil avoid him the same way he avoided  _ magic _ . 

“Why are you avoiding me?”

Neil stopped and let out a deep breath. He looked ready to run, as he always did and it took all of Kevin’s power not to grab Neil’s arm to prevent it. The problem was that Kevin, despite wanting to forget, remembered most of his childhood. He remembered his mother teaching him how to be kind even when no one around him was; remembered Jean’s rare laughter, he even remembered a time when Riko  _ hadn’t  _ been terrible. He remembered  _ Nathaniel  _ like a raging flame in the darkness. Nathaniel had once been his friend. He wasn’t sure  _ what  _ Neil was to him. 

“What do you want me to say?” Neil asked, quiety. 

“Tell me what happened to you. Your father-”

“ _ My father _ is someone we should not talk about. Doesn’t it tell you enough that I am here and not in my own kingdom _?” _

“I  _ don’t _ understand because you won’t explain it to me”, Kevin said, frustrated. He only wanted to help. 

“Well, I’m not going to.” Kevin closed his eyes. In his heart Kevin knew it was unfair to demand answers. He wasn’t where he ought to be, either. 

“You’re just as insufferable as you were when you were younger.”

“And you’re just as stupid”, Neil replied, factually. He was petting the cat again. 

“I think I’ll call him King”, Neil said, after another minute of silence that Kevin had been trying to fill. The statement made Kevin laugh.

“Is that a joke?” They both knew someone who had desperately wanted to be called King, once. 

“Hm. It might be”, Neil answered with a lopsided grin. It faltered when he looked behind Kevin. “That’s my cue”, he whispered. 

Kevin had only a second to look behind him to see Andrew walking towards them. When he turned back, Neil was gone. He sighed, assuming he was going to be ignored again, indefinitely.

“What was he saying?” Andrew asked, as soon as he reached him.

“Good morning to you too”, Kevin said, grumpily. 

“Hm. What did he say?”

“Nothing.”

Andrew gave him a look.

“He sneaked in a cat. He named it  _ King _ .”

Andrew snorted. It  _ was _ a joke. 

“He also wrecked the physician’s room. Aaron is pretty upset.”

Andrew asked a necessary question. “Is he hurt?” 

“Only in his physician emotions. Can you fix that?”

Andrew rolled his eyes so Kevin grinned. A bolt of pain went through his head. He waited for it to subside, for the medicine to take effect. 

“Let’s go eat something.”

They looked quite the pair in their loose bed clothes; with their tired eyes. The sun rose, slowly, over a kingdom that had only just seen the first of the chaos Neil could cause. 

\----

It had been a year since Andrew started living in the palace and he was startled to find himself comfortable enough to walk around at night without his sword. 

He found himself comfortable with a lot of things. 

What was more startling was that he’d formed _ habits. _ One of these was the reason why he was out here, walking through the cold, dark hallways to get to the kitchen. He could get there with his eyes shut which seemed to be the case today because he could barely keep them open. Training with everyone that day had been exhausting. He’d made conversation with more than two people. Exhausting. 

Maybe that’s why he didn’t notice that the kitchen was already lit as soon as he got there. A candle rested in the corner and he could make out a figure scarfing down the leftovers Bee often left for him. Talking to her had also become a habit. It was hard to explain but she was easy to talk to. 

The figure burped and Andrew stepped inside, brows furrowed. 

When the figure turned, Andrew’s face fell flat. 

Neil’s mouth was full, stopped in the middle of chewing and he looked like he’d been caught committing a crime. Andrew rolled his eyes. Neil swallowed the bite in his mouth and opened his crumbled mouth to say something but Andrew held up a hand and he closed it. Neil dropped the bread he was holding. 

Andrew walked towards him and took the plate away. When he looked down, Neil had barely taken a bite and when he looked up, Neil was looking at the bread with wide eyes and a frown. Begrudgingly, Andrew divided the food into halves and separated it,, offering the other plate to the new member of their messed up household. He looked away from the grin on Neil’s face. 

They ate in silence, Neil leaning against the counter and Andrew leaning against the counter but a few feet away. 

Curious, Andrew tried to steal a glance at the other boy but found him already staring. He looked away quickly. He felt very awake, now. 

He tried again and was caught. Another time and still.

He sighed and the next time he looked up he met Neil’s gaze unabashedly. Neil was chewing slowly, holding the piece of bread with both his hands and his eyes were wide and unblinking. He swallowed exaggeratedly, Andrew’s eyes followed the movement, then glanced up just as quick. 

“You eat very neatly”, Neil said, dusting his hands off, getting crumbs all over the floors. 

The light in the kitchen was still the lone candle but against it Neil looked brighter. More alive. His loose bed shirt was almost slipping off his shoulder and his hair was more suited to be a birds nest. Andrew couldn’t imagine his own looked any better. Still, it was a sight to see. Andrew’s eyes captured the moment, shuttering away in his memory to find its way onto paper later on. Another habit, although this one was quite old. He hadn’t had time or material to sketch before but Bee had given him a notebook and pastels. It kept him sane, some days.

“You eat like a heathen”, he replied, walking away to get the mop. 

He offered it to Neil when he was back. “Clean. Bee doesn’t like crumbs in her kitchen.”

Neil’s frown deepened but he took the mop, his fingers barely brushing Andrew’s. 

Andrew ignored it, but he felt Neil’s eyes fix on him for a moment. They narrowed in...confusion? Andrew couldn’t tell. Then, the other boy shook his head and got to work. Andrew handled the plates. 

They both turned and looked up at the sound of footsteps. 

Kevin walked in and stopped. He looked at them. They looked at him. From the look on his face, he hadn’t been expecting anyone to be in the kitchen at this hour either, even though Andrew had seen him walk in sometimes to get water while he ate. It was the easy confusion on his face that made Andrew want to ruffle his hair for some reason. It didn’t have to mean anything, he told himself, but kept his hands to himself. There would be no hair ruffling. It might become another habit if Kevin allowed it, Andrew knew well enough how often he wanted to run his hands through Kevin’s hair. 

Neil had gone back to mopping the floor in silence. Kevin looked quite distraught at the lack of acknowledgement, as he had for the past few days. Sighing, he moved forward to have a drink of water. 

“I’m assuming Abby isn’t letting you help with medicine anymore?” Kevin asked, leaning against the counter beside Andrew. 

Neil didn’t respond. Andrew looked from one to the other, amused. 

“Are you going to help Betsy in the kitchen, then?”  _ Betsy.  _ No one called her that. Kevin’s words were so formal Andrew almost,  _ almost _ laughed.

Neil handed the mop back to Andrew silently. Andrew took it, trying to hide his interest in the drama these two put up everyday. It was funnier to see the expression on the other’s face when they thought no one was looking. Like they’d walk barefoot through the desert for a chance at conversation with the other but when given the choice it was failed attempts and disregard. It was comical.

“Neil?” Kevin said, softly. Neil, who was almost to the door, stopped. 

Andrew noticed him take a deep breath then turn around. 

“Kevin”, Neil said, like he didn’t want to say it. Andrew read the lie on his face. He knew Neil was a liar and he suspected there was something these two were hiding from him in regards to their chance encounter. You don’t just meet a childhood friend in the marketplace. Andrew needed to know more. 

“Where’s King?”, Kevin asked, smiling once again. 

“In my room”, Neil replied and waited. Kevin would want to say more. 

“If you’re free, you could train with us tomorrow?” It was almost shy.

Instead of looking affronted, Neil looked like he was considering the offer. Andrew noticed a scar peeking through on Neil’s shoulder; the burnt mark of a fire poker. He stilled. Was it wise to let someone suspicious spar with Kevin? Would Neil hurt him? 

“I-”, Neil began, then stopped. Then, “Alright.”

Kevin nodded with barely concealed glee. He looked like he did sometimes when he rambled on about ancient history and myth in the library when neither of them could sleep. Andrew looked between them once again as Neil left the room. There was history there, he knew. But Kevin’s history was dangerous and he needed to know if Neil had played a part in that. Kevin had carefully managed to avoid mentioning Neil until they had met him the other day and after that, as well, he’d only told him Neil was an old friend. 

Andrew decided then, what he would do next to ensure Kevin’s safety. After all, it was his job. 

Nothing else. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> AAAAAAA. Thank you everyone for reading and leaving kudos. I have no fix schedule but I'm probably going to be updating this more often now. Here's another chapter, I hope you like it!


	4. A Death Match

Neil woke up disgruntled. 

His room was located on the west side of the palace, crammed between large hallways and one other room but he didn’t know who it belonged to. He’d never seen anyone enter or leave it. There was a window but it didn’t let in any of the morning sunlight, only a willing haziness. 

He sat up on his bed, running his fingers through his hair. Tried to remember what breathing was, why he needed to stay alive. He shrugged the sheets off of him and stood up to stretch and opened the window, giving him a view of the palace gardens. Despite his ever-growing stay here, he had yet to meet someone he felt even slightly comfortable around. So far, he had met Kevin, his guard Andrew, Andrew’s brother Aaron, their cousin Nicky (who had introduced himself rather enthusiastically) and the court physician Abby. Of course, there was King Wymack but Neil was in no mood or position to acknowledge him anytime soon. 

He was not very fond of Kings’. 

It was not a misplaced distrust but caution and experience. 

He leaned against the windowsill, nightshirt catching the stray dust on the ledge. He didn’t care, breathing in deeply. It was strange how he knew he was never safe but felt so calm in this palace. Like he belonged there. Like he could stay there forever.

He knew he would have to go, eventually.    
It was selfish to risk all of their lives over a hiding spot. And if anyone found out where exactly he had run away from, he doubted they would let him stay.

Except that Kevin knew. And Kevin let him stay. 

His thoughts drifted away from him when he spotted two figures in the garden. 

A tall girl with blonde hair reaching to her hips in a comfortable white dress and another girl, wearing clothes he was sure he had seen Andrew himself wearing a few days ago. She was taller than Andrew but her stature was leaner, which made the shirt hang loose on her shoulders and she had tied it around her waist with a comfortable belt, in which nested several blades and a heavy sword. Her hair was snow white, the edges purple. It was a trace of magic and Neil was immediately wary of her. First, because she wore Andrew’s clothes and he was wary of Andrew and second, because he wanted nothing to do with magic that wasn’t his own. 

He couldn’t ask questions, he told himself. That would be suspicious. 

The girls were holding hands, walking leisurely. Comfortably. 

Neil knew in his old kingdom such privilege would be frowned upon. But the girls looked perfectly at ease. 

King jumped up to the window sill beside Neil and he stroked her fur gently. She purred and relaxed into a resting position on the ledge. 

He was beginning to understand why the people in this kingdom were satisfied with their lenient ruler and crown prince. He could see a mutual respect there that was unheard and unseen otherwise. Of course, people in other kingdoms fawned over princes’ and kings’ but from Neil’s perception it had been mostly out of fear and status. Their wealth either made them beloved or resented. 

There was a knock on the door. He turned and moved to unlock the doors. 

It was Kevin. 

“Good morning”, Kevin said, a bit breathless. 

Neil frowned and peeked outside, looking down one hallway and another. 

“Did you run here?”

“No”, Kevin lied. 

“Why did you run here?” Neil asked, raising an eyebrow. 

“Why do you ask so many questions?” Kevin furrowed his brows. “Training starts in a few hours. You should have breakfast.”

“Did you run here to tell me to have breakfast?” Neil grinned, enjoying teasing Kevin.

“I did not run here”, Kevin stated in mock offense. 

“Yes, Your Highness,” Neil drawled, tilting his head. “My apologies for the assumption”

Behind Kevin, Andrew appeared. On another day, Neil would have hidden his mirth and shut the door in their face, but Andrew had shared his food with Neil the night before which left Neil wondering but careful. He couldn’t understand the kind of person Andrew was and it left him feeling disoriented if he thought about him too long. 

And he had been thinking. 

Kevin had always been a drifting thought at the back of Neil’s head, even on the run. Their past together called for it but upon seeing them together so often Neil couldn’t erase the image of Kevin and Andrew side by side. Now, when he thought of them, he could not see one without the other. 

“He ran here to tell you to eat breakfast.” 

Neil pursed his lips to hide his smile from them and shook his head. 

“Give me a moment”, he said and shut the door. 

After he had changed out, he walked out into the hallway to find Kevin and Andrew lost in discussion. A better observation would be, he walked out to find Kevin talking animatedly about something and Andrew giving slight, passing comments to support or disagree. There were large windows in the hallways that opened into the center of the palace where a large fountain rested. This was the most common place for the palace’s residents to rest, often in the evening as the sun shifted in the sky. The place was running with vines and small plants in the corners and the cold stone floor was a blessing for a day's warm feet. 

He moved to the pair, silently and met Andrew’s gaze first. Kevin shook his head at Andrew and turned to face him as well. 

“Neil, you tell him.”

“What?” Neil asked. 

“That you can’t become a great sword fighter by simply _ choosing the right sword. _ ”

“And why do I need to explain this to him? It’s quite self- explanatory.” 

Neil was only a little confused by Kevin’s demand as they began to walk to the kitchens. 

“Because he says he learnt in a day and that is not possible. It took me years. No one can instinctually be as good as he is without being taught for years.”

Mindfulness rose like bile in Neil’s gut. He didn’t know what Kevin meant by this and as devoted to Kevin as he believed Andrew to be, he wasn’t sure if those words were possible either. His mind immediately suggested a play of magic. For a palace heedful of sorcery and its disturbing qualities, every crevice of it seemed to be lined with magic. Or maybe it was just Neil’s mind. If it was his own secret it didn’t mean everyone’s had to be. 

He didn’t say it to Kevin, he wasn’t going to lay a trap of magical discussion for his own self. 

He looked instead at Andrew, taking in every inch of his appearance and stance. Andrew did not radiate any form of magic himself. Kevin was right. Such skill was not learnt overnight. Andrew must be hiding something. 

He didn’t like the idea of someone else lying to Kevin, which he realized immediately was hypocritical. But this was what he was best at. Being hypocritical and guilty. 

“Show me the sword”, Neil said, carefully. 

Andrew was quiet as he gazed at Neil. “Later.” 

Neil squinted and nodded. He could detect if it was magic in a second. He just didn’t know how he would warn Kevin of this. If Andrew was using magic then Kevin was susceptible to it. Neil himself would never use his it to hurt Kevin or anyone else in the palace but he didn’t know about Andrew. Kevin deserved better than to be hurt again by someone who seemed as close to him as his guard was. 

It took two hours after they ate to get everyone assembled in the training arena. 

It was havoc from the beginning. 

Nicky walked in holding roasted peanuts rolled up in paper, which made Kevin scowl. Aaron wasn’t there at all and Neil had only ever seen him with Abby or Nicky. He assumed the physician would not be required to learn swordsmanship. Then, there were the new people who Neil had not met. 

A man taller than Kevin walked in talking animatedly with a woman who had short curly hair in a mop on her head. They were both laughing at whatever had been said, too lost in their conversation. The ladies he had seen earlier in the garden walked in after them and trailing behind them a sullen guard with drooping eyes and a grim expression. Neil had seen him before, but he seemed very quiet and distant. 

Kevin cleared his throat and no one paid him any mind. Neil saw Kevin roll his eyes but the frown on his lips grew deeper. Neil noticed the expression with a feeling he couldn’t quite discern. 

He saw a metal glass with a pitcher of water on the table behind him and reached out to swipe the glass off. It fell to the floor with a loud clang and rolled away to Andrew’s feet who was leaning against the wall. Andrew stopped it with his foot and looked up at Neil. 

“Cat”, Andrew drawled. 

Neil half-smiled, looking away. 

The entire room was looking at him in wonder. Suddenly, he realized they were not the new people here, he was. He was an outsider in a den of misfits, of people who were thieves and would have otherwise been enemies if he was still on the run. He was being scrutinized by everyone. He shifted from one foot to another trying to steel himself.

Kevin stepped in front of him, which hid Neil entirely. 

“You’re all late”, Kevin said. 

“This begins when I get here, Kevin”, the first woman he had seen spoke. Neil immediately understood the control Kevin held here. Close to none. This woman, whoever she was, was the one who these people listened to. 

Kevin looked unimpressed but didn’t say anything else. Neil narrowed his eyes at Kevin’s expression, realizing how it had shifted drastically. Where it had been relaxed while he had been speaking to Andrew and Neil, now it was pinched and prepared for mess. 

Neil turned his own unimpressed look back at the small crowd. 

“Nicky doesn’t even have his sword”, the grim man said. “I’m leaving”, he said, turning around.

“You’re not going anywhere, Seth.” 

His words made Neil stop. 

“Is this all the people in training?” Neil asked Kevin. Everyone looked at him once again as he spoke. 

“No”, Kevin said. “The rest are trained by Danielle and sometimes Renee.”

“Yeah”, the man with the sad eyes said. “Kevin here trains only with us ‘special people’.”

Neil turned an inquisitive look towards Kevin. 

“They don’t have magic”, Kevin whispered. 

There was a lump in Neil’s throat. The word betrayal rang like a warning in his mind. He didn’t know what to say so he looked away. 

“I’m Danielle. Call me Dan. Don’t pay attention to Kevin’s arrogance, I’m the Captain here”, the lady who had spoken back to Kevin stepped forward with a grin, offering Neil a hand. Neil shook it and withdrew, awkwardly. The man with her raised his own hand with a grin, told Neil his name was Matthew and that Neil could call him Matt. Dan swung a casual arm over his shoulders. 

“Renee”, the white haired girl said, kindly. Neil refused to meet her eyes. 

“Allison”, the woman with her long hair tied in a plait said. The last person there didn’t look like he was going to introduce himself so Neil looked back down to his feet. 

“What’s your name?” Allison’s voice spoke haughtily. Neil looked up again. 

“Neil”, he said and looked back down again. 

“Are you serious, Kevin? I barely heard his name, how’s he going to survive training with you?” Seth said, annoyed and annoyingly. 

Neil frowned at his feet, willing to speak up. Just as he was about to, Andrew stepped forward. 

“Let’s test how good he is”, he said. Neil sent a withering glare meant for Seth, his way instead. 

“Andre-”, Kevin began, but broke off at the look Andrew sent him. They communicated silently for a moment, in the silence of the room and Nicky’s peanut chewing noises. 

“He is not a threat”, Kevin said, softly, to Andrew. 

“I’ll be the judge of that”, Andrew replied.

In all this, it hadn’t occurred to Neil that he was a cause for concern in Andrew’s life. He was Kevin’s guard but Kevin had willingly brought Neil into the palace. He expected Andrew to trust Kevin’s judgement by now but apparently, he was misguided. 

“Andrew”, Kevin said, as a warning. According to Kevin, Andrew was the best. Neil thought perhaps this was why Andrew had allowed their conversation in the morning to fester. He frowned, angry at suspicion that was entirely deserved.

The rest of them watched quietly as Neil’s face skimmed through their expressions for hints of excessive danger. He noticed a frown on Renee’s face which looked more realistic than the smile she had sent his way earlier. Allison and Nicky looked entertained, Seth looked bored. Dan and Matt looked a lot more concerned that they should which gave everything away. Andrew really was the best fighter here. 

Kevin offered Neil his own sword which Neil took with clammy hands and adjusted his grip on. He swung it a few times facing away from Andrew and controlled his breathing. 

The problem wasn’t that he didn’t know how to fight. 

The problem was that he did. He’d been raised on survival and it had been a constant battle to do so. But if the people here saw this as an even match it would make them ask questions. 

A second before turning, Neil convinced himself that he would have to lose on purpose if worse came to worse. He couldn’t use his magic here. 

He heard Andrew unsheathe his sword and turned. 

That’s when everything clicked into place in his head. 

Why he couldn’t spot magic on Andrew, why Andrew was considerably the best, why Andrew was here in the first place. 

And Neil stopped. 

Andrew waited for him to take the first swing but Neil’s eyes were caught on his weapon. His heart dropped to his feet and when his eyes met Andrew’s this time he knew the fear would be evident. Andrew frowned, quiet as ever and waited for Neil to begin. 

Neil knew then that the match was uneven. 

Neil would win this fight fair and square if he tried even a little bit. 

He swung at Andrew. 

It was chaos. 

Metal clashed together and Neil could see Andrew holding on simply by brute strength. Neil cleared his expression and twisted it back, trying to unarm Andrew, knowing he shouldn’t. He wanted to win, to prove that he could fight but doing so would make him, in Kevin’s own words, a threat. Andrew’s eyes widened, noticing a change in the fight. 

Neil kept his mouth shut and moved back. Their swords clashed for a while before Andrew tried to trip Neil. Neil held his balance and leaned forward towards the cross their swords made in the breath between them. 

“Where did you find this sword?” he whispered. 

Andrew’s eyes narrowed and he used Neil’s momentary curiosity as a way to finally disarm. Really, it wasn’t a fair question.

Neil knew where Andrew must have found it because he remembered exactly where he had kept it in that tavern years ago. He didn’t think he would ever see it again. 

“How did you know I found it?” Andrew said quietly, breathless from the fight, pointing holding the blade edges away from Neil on the floor. He tilted Neil’s chin up with it and Neil grabbed onto it with his entire hand. Andrew’s eyes widened. 

In a flash, Neil pulled the blade forward and out of Andrew’s hand and it fell uselessly to the floor. Andrew’s arm moved back. He looked surprised. Neil thought he heard a gasp but he was too distracted by Andrew’s stare on him. 

He sat up, his palm bleeding profusely onto his shirt. 

“Oh, fuck”, someone said and he heard rustling. Matt was beside him holding onto his hand, a box with salve and bandages beside him. He was taunting Neil for being an idiot but Neil was still looking at Andrew.

Andrew, who had hidden his shock well, but Neil knew he would be questioned soon.

He didn’t know how he could describe it to him. How was he supposed to tell Andrew, someone he had avoided for so long that the sword he so heavily relied upon was coursing with Neil’s magic? That Neil had carved it himself, afraid and alone after his mother’s death, enchanted it and left it behind for only one person to find and take?

How would he explain that no one but his _ soulmate _ could touch it without burning themselves?

He was pondering the ‘how’s’ when he saw Kevin kneel beside him with an exasperated expression. 

“Why would you do that?”, he asked incredulously. Neil had no answer. 

The sword was lying beside them, Neil’s blood still on it. They reached towards it at the same time and Neil’s eyes widened. Neil was about to slap Kevin’s hand away but the pain in his other hand made him wince and hiss, suddenly. He looked, distraughtly, as Kevin picked up the sword to hand to Andrew, who held it now with distrust. Still, he wiped it clean and sheathed it. 

Neil’s eyebrows furrowed. The room wasn’t silent but Neil’s head was full of static. All around him everyone was chattering, complaining, concerned. And Neil was reaching forward to take Kevin’s hand in his, expecting them to be burned. 

“I-”, Kevin said, and didn’t continue.. 

But there was nothing. No marks, nothing was burnt. He traced gentle fingers over Kevin’s unmarred skin. Kevin was-

“Neil”, Kevin said, voice laced with anxiety. 

Neil didn’t care if everyone was looking at them or no one was looking. He met Kevin’s eyes. He looked up and met Andrew’s. 

He took a deep breath and choked on an exhale. 

He was terrified. This wasn’t supposed to happen. 

Everything, his comfort, his calm, his concern, his desire to believe every word that left their mouth, the long stares he had been sending the palace before he even got here. It made sense. His  _ soulmates _ were here. 

He didn’t think he would be alive long enough to see the day. 

Yet. 

Neil coughed wretchedly, horrified, and the rest of them surrounded him, rubbing his back, finishing the bandage on his hand. Through it all, he saw Andrew’s feet retreat from the room. 

He felt helpless as he watched Kevin, who was looking at the doorway as well. When their eyes met again, Neil looked away faster than ever. 

He didn’t know _ what _ to do anymore. 

  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> i think i wrote sword too many times. anyway, hope this wasn't confusing or anything


End file.
